For Rockets’ McHale, home is where next win is

For this particular road trip north toward home, Rockets coach Kevin McHale prefers to keep his eyes focused on the present, not the past.

The Rockets’ game Monday night at Minneapolis will be McHale’s first return to Minnesota for a game since a 15-year stretch with the Timberwolves as an executive and, on two occasions, as coach, that ended with his dismissal in 2009.

It also comes at a time the Rockets are enjoying a six-game winning streak but also are sufficiently dinged up that several players sat out a rare practice session Sunday afternoon.

It’s not hard to guess which was foremost on McHale’s mind Sunday.

“That (returning to Minnesota) is the last thing in the world I’m thinking about,” McHale, 54, said. “I’ve been gone for three years. There’s one guy left on the team from when I was there.

“I have very few affiliations with that team. I had two years at TNT and NBA TV, and I’m in Houston now, and that (his time with the Timberwolves) is a long time ago.

“I’m just excited about getting up there and playing another game. It’s a team that we’re ahead of in the standings. We have to stay ahead of the teams we’re ahead of in the standings, and we have to beat the teams ahead of us. That’s how you make the playoffs.”

All true. But glossing over the significance of his return undeservedly downplays McHale’s legacy in his home state and his impact — the good and the not so good — on its NBA franchise.

Minnesota legend

For one thing, he’s the second-most famous son of Hibbing, Minn. (Bobby Zimmerman, aka Bob Dylan, has pretty much retired first place).

He played for the University of Minnesota, where he was recognized as the best player in school history, and the bulk of his Hall of Fame career with the Celtics came at a time Minnesota had no NBA team and, as such, he was the best the state had to offer.

He became Timberwolves vice president for basketball operations in 1995, shortly after a change in ownership short-circuited the team’s move to New Orleans, and drafted high schooler Kevin Garnett with the first pick of the 1995 draft.

With Garnett, plus the acquisition via trades of Tom Gugliotta and Stephon Marbury, the Timberwolves made the playoffs for eight seasons, with seven first-round losses (one of which earned McHale the dubious honor from a Twin Cities newspaper as the area’s Turkey of the Year) and one trip to the Western Conference finals.

McHale fired his former college teammate, Flip Saunders, and made his coaching debut for the final 31 games of the 2004-05 season.

After returning to the front office for three-plus seasons, McHale relinquished those duties, coached the team to a 20-43 record down the stretch of the 2008-09 season and was not retained after the season.

“It was a fun time getting things going,” he said. “We never got it to the next level where we wanted to get, but it was fun.”

Shifting career

Then came TV, and then came the Rockets, for whom he replaced Rick Adelman, who will be on the home bench tonight at Target Center.

For all his talk about the passage of time, one significant legacy of the McHale era remains in Minnesota: Timberwolves forward Kevin Love, who came to the team via trade after the 2008 draft and had 53 consecutive double-double performances through last March, the longest streak since the NBA-ABA merger.

“Good player, good kid, and I’m glad for him,” McHale said. “He’s been better than I think anybody thought he would be or hoped he would be.
“You don’t draft anybody thinking he’s going to be a 25 (points), 15 (rebounds) guy. You know how many people do that? Like, none.”

There are advantages to the one-game road trip: a rare night at home, a chance to spend time with his family (he estimates he had to line up about 18 tickets for tonight’s game) and, for the return trip to Houston, the company of his wife, Lynn.

But it’s also another game in a season that offers little time for reflection on the past. That was driven home by Sunday’s practice, which McHale said involved a generous degree of film study as players rested up from Saturday’s win over the Spurs.
Unique season

“I told the guys that we have to get better off film and moderate workouts and off whiteboards and looking at things, because practice time this year is a scarce commodity,” he said. “We conceptualize it, and then you’ve got to bring that to the floor and punch it home for execution.

“There’s no substitution for repetition, and unfortunately, in this shortened season, repetition is hard to come by.”

Repetition, during his playing career, got McHale in the Hall of Fame. This season, he’ll settle for it getting the Rockets into the playoffs.

“I’m proud of the guys,” he said. “They’ve improved and gotten better during a tough part of the schedule. This is a volatile year. The guys are playing hard. We have stuff we can improve on, and we will.”
david.barron@chron.com

<center><b>April 26: Rockets 84, Hornets 77</b></center> Rockets forward Chase Budinger follows through on a dunk during the second half of the season finale against New Orleans at Toyota Center. Budinger finished with a season-high 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting to help the Rockets finished the year with a winning record.
<b>Record:</b> 34-32. less

<center><b>April 26: Rockets 84, Hornets 77</b></center> Rockets forward Chase Budinger follows through on a dunk during the second half of the season finale against New Orleans at Toyota Center. Budinger ... more

Photo: Pat Sullivan / Associated Press

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<center><b>April 22: Heat 97, Rockets 88</b></center> Heat forward LeBron James, right, posts up Rockets forward Chandler Parsons during their game in Miami. Parsons scored a career-high 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, but James' game-high 32 points led the Heat to a victory that officially eliminated the Rockets from playoff contention.
<b>Record:</b> 33-32. less

<b><center>April 11: Jazz 103, Rockets 91</center></b> Rockets guard Goran Dragic, left, tries to control ball after Jazz guard Devin Harris knocks it from him during the first quarter. Dragic led the Rockets with 19 points and seven assists, but the Jazz stalled Houston's attempt at a late rally.
<b>Record:</b> 32-26. less

<b><center>April 11: Jazz 103, Rockets 91</center></b> Rockets guard Goran Dragic, left, tries to control ball after Jazz guard Devin Harris knocks it from him during the first quarter. Dragic led the Rockets ... more

<b><center>April 8: Rockets 104, Kings 87</center></b> Rockets guard Courtney Lee, left, goes to the basket against Kings guard Jimmer Fredette, right, during the first quarter. Lee had game highs of 25 points and four steals as the Rockets sprinted to their third consecutive victory.
<b>Record:</b> 31-25. less

<center><b>April 6: Rockets 112, Lakers 107</b></center> Goran Dragic, right, had 26 points and 11 assists to help the Rockets hold off the Los Angeles Lakers on the road and win their their second straight game.
<b>Record:</b> 30-25. less

<center><b>April 6: Rockets 112, Lakers 107</b></center> Goran Dragic, right, had 26 points and 11 assists to help the Rockets hold off the Los Angeles Lakers on the road and win their their second straight ... more

<center><b>March 18: Suns 99, Rockets 86</b></center> Rockets guard Goran Dragic (3) gets the balled stripped by Phoenix's Sebastian Telfair (31) during the second quarter. Dragic finished with 16 points, eight assists and four steals against his former team, but he wasn't able to lift the Rockets past the Suns. <b>Record:</b> 24-22. less

<center><b>March 4: Clippers 105, Rockets 103 (OT)</b></center> Clippers guard Chris Paul, right, tries to keep up with Rockets guard Kevin Martin during the second half. Martin led the Rockets with 25 points, but Paul scored a game-high 28 to help the Clippers capture a tight victory and send Houston to its third straight loss. <b>Record:</b> 21-17. less

<center><b>Feb. 28: Rockets 88, Raptors 85</b></center>
Kevin Martin (12) of the Houston Rockets goes for a shot between DeMar DeRozan (10) and James Johnson (2) of the Toronto Raptors.
<b>Record:</b> 21-14. less

<center><b>Feb. 28: Rockets 88, Raptors 85</b></center>
Kevin Martin (12) of the Houston Rockets goes for a shot between DeMar DeRozan (10) and James Johnson (2) of the Toronto Raptors.
<b>Record:</b> ... more

Photo: George Bridges / McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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<center><b>Feb. 22: Rockets 93, 76ers 87</b></center> Rockets forward Luis Scola (4) works against Philadelphia 76ers center Nikola Vucevic during the first half. Scola recorded a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Rockets to their third consecutive victory. <b>Record:</b> 20-14. less

<center><b>Feb. 19: Rockets 101, Jazz 85</b></center> Jazz forward Paul Millsap, left, is called for a blocking foul against Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry in the second half. Lowry scored a game-high 32 points and added nine assists. <b>Record:</b> 18-14. less

<center><b>Feb. 19: Rockets 101, Jazz 85</b></center> Jazz forward Paul Millsap, left, is called for a blocking foul against Rockets point guard Kyle Lowry in the second half. Lowry scored a game-high 32 ... more

<b><center>Feb. 14: Grizzlies 93, Rockets 83</center></b> Grizzlies forward Marreese Speight, right, defends against Rockets guard Kyle Lowry (7) in the first half. Lowry recorded a game-high 24 points, but he was the only Rockets starter to score in double figures. <b>Record:</b> 16-13. less

<b><center>Feb. 6: Rockets 99, Nuggets 90</center></b> Rockets forward Luis Scola (4) reaches for the ball against Nuggets center Kosta Koufos during the first quarter. Scola scored a game-high 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting to help the Rockets hold off a late rally by the Nuggets. <b>Record:</b> 14-11. less

<b><center>Feb. 3: Rockets 99, Suns 81</center></b> Rockets guard Kevin Martin shoots a basket during the second half of Friday night's game against the Suns at Toyota Center. He finished with a game-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, helping the Rockets snap a two-game losing streak. <b>Record:</b> 13-10. less

<b><center>Feb. 3: Rockets 99, Suns 81</center></b> Rockets guard Kevin Martin shoots a basket during the second half of Friday night's game against the Suns at Toyota Center. He finished with a game-high 16 ... more

Photo: Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle

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<b><center>Feb. 1: Spurs 99, Rockets 91</center></b> San Antonio's Kawhi Leonard (2) battles Rockets forward Luis Scola (4) and center Samuel Dalembert during Wednesday night's game at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Scola and Dalembert struggled against the Spurs, combining for only eight points on 4-of-12 shooting. <b>Record:</b> 12-10. less

<b><center>Jan. 30: Timberwolves 120, Rockets 108</center></b>Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love (42) hustles to get to a rebound before Rockets small forward Chase Budinger (10) and center Samuel Dalembert ... more

Photo: Nick de la Torre / Chronicle

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<b><center>Jan. 27: Rockets 97, Knicks 84</center></b> Forward Chase Budinger (10) scored a team-high 19 points in 24 minutes off the bench to help the Rockets win for the ninth time in 10 games. <b>Record:</b> 12-8. less

<b><center>Jan. 27: Rockets 97, Knicks 84</center></b> Forward Chase Budinger (10) scored a team-high 19 points in 24 minutes off the bench to help the Rockets win for the ninth time in 10 games. ... more

Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Houston Chronicle

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<b><center>Jan. 27: Rockets 103, Wizards 76</center></b> Rockets power forward Luis Scola goes in for a layup during Friday night's game against the Wizards at Toyota Center. Scola had 19 points and eight rebounds to help lead the Rockets to their eighth win in nine games. <b>Record:</b> 11-8. less

<b><center>Jan. 27: Rockets 103, Wizards 76</center></b> Rockets power forward Luis Scola goes in for a layup during Friday night's game against the Wizards at Toyota Center. Scola had 19 points and eight ... more

Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Chronicle

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<b><center>Jan. 25: Bucks 105, Rockets 99</center></b> Chandler Parsons, center, had 16 points and five assists but it wasn't enough to prevent the Rockets' winning streak from ending at seven games. <b>Record:</b> 10-8. less

<b><center>Jan. 25: Bucks 105, Rockets 99</center></b> Chandler Parsons, center, had 16 points and five assists but it wasn't enough to prevent the Rockets' winning streak from ending at seven games. ... more

<b><center>Jan. 14: Rockets 107, Trail Blazers 105 (OT)</b></center> Guard Kyle Lowry (7) scored 33 points, including a crucial 3-pointer in the waning seconds of regulation, to help the Rockets hold off ... more

Photo: Michael Paulsen / Chronicle

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<b><center>Jan. 13: Rockets 103, Kings 89</b></center> Center Samuel Dalembert (21) had his best game as a Rocket, recording 21 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks to help Houston beat his former team. <b>Record:</b> 4-7. less

<b><center>Jan. 13: Rockets 103, Kings 89</b></center> Center Samuel Dalembert (21) had his best game as a Rocket, recording 21 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks to help Houston beat his former team. ... more

<b><center>Dec. 30: Grizzlies 113, Rockets 93</b></center> Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) roughed up the Rockets' defense for 23 points and nine rebounds to lead his squad to a victory in Memphis, Tenn. <b>Record:</b> 1-2. less

<b><center>Dec. 30: Grizzlies 113, Rockets 93</b></center> Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) roughed up the Rockets' defense for 23 points and nine rebounds to lead his squad to a victory in Memphis, Tenn. ... more

Photo: Nikki Boertman / AP

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<b><center>Dec. 29: Rockets 105, Spurs 85</b></center> Kevin Martin goes in for two of his game-high 25 points as the Rockets soared past the Spurs in their home opener. <b>Record:</b> 1-1. less

<b><center>Dec. 29: Rockets 105, Spurs 85</b></center> Kevin Martin goes in for two of his game-high 25 points as the Rockets soared past the Spurs in their home opener. <b>Record:</b> ... more

Photo: Smiley N. Pool / Chronicle

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<b><center>Dec. 26: Magic 104, Rockets 95</b></center> Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu, right, had a game-high 23 points to help send the Rockets to a loss in their season opener in Orlando, Fla. <b>Record:</b> 0-1. less

<b><center>Dec. 26: Magic 104, Rockets 95</b></center> Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu, right, had a game-high 23 points to help send the Rockets to a loss in their season opener in Orlando, Fla. <b>Record:</b> ... more